Combustion-injected flash-generator.



C. A. ULREY.

' COMBUSTION INJEGTED FLASH GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 4, 1913.

1,093,896, Patented Apr. 21, 191i COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COHWASHINOTON. D. c.

CHARLES A. ULREY, OF VILLA NUEVA, ARGENTINA.

COMBUSTION-INJECTED FLASH-GENERATOR.

possess.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

Application filed. August 4, 1913. Serial No. 782,974.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. ULREY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Villa Nueva, F. C. V., Province of Cordoba, Republic of Argentina, South America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combustion-Injected Flash-Generators; and I do hereby declare the follow ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to combustion injected flash generators. 7

()ne object of the invention is to .provide a means for storing the energy resultant from successive explosions of gases, and to utilize the heat of such stored gases in the production of steam on the flash generator principle, the steam and gas pressures being retained in a common tank.

Another object is to provide means for supplying water to be subjected to the influence of heat from the gases, in the proper proportion, and to also provide means actuated by the temperature of the stored gases for controlling the water supply.

With the above objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be made in the minor details of construe tion within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating this invention: Figure 1 is a sectional view of the apparatus showing one valve in operation. Fig. 2is a sectional view showing the other valve in operation.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of reference designate similar parts, 8 designates an ordinary internal combustion engine which is designed to be positively driven by an operative connection 9 with a motor of any desired type. The fuel is drawn into the cylinder on the down-stroke of the piston and compressed on the upstroke to a pressure of approximately 100 pounds when it is fired.

A tank 10 is connected to the combustion space 11 of the engine by a pipe 12. A check valve 13 is disposed in this pipe, and it will here be stated that this valve is normally held closed by a pressure of greater than 190 pounds, in other words this valveis subjected to-the pressure of the tank 10. When the charge in the engine cylinder has reached a pressure of 100 pounds and has been fired, the great increase of pressure due to the explosion opens the valve 13 and allows theburnt gases to flow into the tank 10 through the pipe 12.

Inorder to promote the operation of the device in raising the pressure in the tank from Zero to over 100 pounds, which is essential before the check valve 13 will be held closed as above described, there is'a bypass 14 connected to the pipe 12 and to an expansion chamber 15, the latter being in turn connected by a pipe 16 to the tank. In the bypass there is a valve 17 that ispressed closed by a spring 18 having a pressure of about 100 pounds. Furthermore, in the pipe 12 there is a valve 19 that is pressed closed by a spring 20 and further bears upon a diaphragm 21 that is subjected through a pipe 22 to tank pressure.

Suppose that there is zero pressure in the tank. Both the valve 17 and valve 19 will now beclosed by their respective springs so that the mixture in the gas engine may be compressed to 100 pounds when it will be fired as above stated. This increase in pressure blows open the valve 17 whereby the burnt gases escape through the bypass, expansion chamber 15 and pipe 16 into the tank 10, as shown in Fig. 1. This operation is continued until a pressure of 100'pounds and a little over is reached in the tank.

Vhen the pressure in the tank has been raised above 100 pounds this pressure acting upon the diaphragm 21 holds thevalve 19 openagainst the pressure of its spring whereby communication is established in substantially a straight line from the tank to the engine cylinder, and as above stated this pressure of over 100 pounds holds the check valve 18 closed until the explosion blows it openwhereupon the burnt' ases escape direct into the tank 10, as S1OWI1 in Fig. 2.

It is well known that the temperature of gases just after the explosion is very high approximating seventeen .or eighteen hundred degrees, and thus the temperature of the gases in the tank 10 will be entirely too high for use in a fluid engine. For simultaneously reducing the temperature of the gases and producing steam, a Water pipe 23 enters the top of the tank 10 and discharges on to a superposed series of trays 2%. that are graduated in size whereby the water escapes over the edges of each tray in succession on to the tray below in a thin veil. The exceedingly great temperature of the gases in the tank causes such veil of water to instantly flash into steam. The entering water as well as the generation of the steam takes up considerable heat" from the gases whereby the temperature of. the mixed steam and gases is reduced suitable for use in a fluid engine. It will be here stated that the mixture is drawn off from the tank through a pipe 25 and it is preferably used about as fast as generated.

It is obvious that the entry of water must be controlled otherwise the gases in the tank would be cooled to such an extent that the production of steam on the flash principle would no longer be possible. To regulate the flow of waterI provide a thermostatic pyrometer 26 which is mountedwithin the tank and is exposed to the temperature of the gases. This pyrometer is connected by a suitable link mechanism 27 to a cut-off valve 28 disposed in the water pipe 23. Now upon a fall in temperature of the gases such that there is danger of the generation of steam ceasing, the pyrometer will be affected by such fall in temperature and operate to close the valve 28 whereby no more water can enter until the incoming gases from the gas engine has again raised the temperature to such a point that the generation of steam may again take place whereupon the pyrometer again opens the valve and lets more water in. It might be that the pressure Within the tank 10 would rise to such an extent as to equal the pressure of the explosions in the engine, and to positively obviate this a blow off or release valve 29 is connected to the tank, whereby pressure above a predetermined point may be released.

From the above description it will be seen that supplying the water in the way above described has a double purpose namely, it reduces the temperature of the burnt gases and at the same time produces steam. It will further be seen that I have provided an extremely simple device of the character de scribed which is formed of a few parts that are effective in operation and will not easily get out of order.

What is claimed, is

1. In 'a combustion injected flash generator, a tank, an internal combustion apparatus, means for conducting the gases from the explosions in said apparatus into said tank,

a water pipe entering said tank, means for spreading the entering water in a thin veil whereby the heat of the gases acting upon said veil causes the latter to flash into steam, and means controlled by the temperature of said gases in governing the water-supply;

2. In a combustion injected flash generator, a tank, an internal combustion engine, means for conducting the gases from the explosions in said engine into said tank, a water pipe entering said tank, a cut-oil valve in said pipe, and a thermostatic pyrometer operatively connected to said valve and serving to close said valve upon such a fall in temperature as would cause the generation of steam from the incoming water to cease and operating to open said valve upon a. sufficient rise in temperature to cause the production of steam from said incoming water.

3. A combustion injected flash generator comprising a tank, an internal combustion engine, connections between said engine and said tank, a check valve in said connections exposed to tank pressure, means for cutting off the connections between the engine and tank, means for holding said cut-off means normally in operative position, connection between said cut-off means and the tank for operation to open the cut-off means when the tank pressure has reached a, predetermined point, a by-pass communicating with the engine and with the tank and extending around the cut-off means, a valve in the bypass, and means for holding the valve in the by-pass closed against the pressure to which the fresh gases in the engine are compressed for ignition, said holding means being yieldable under a higher pressure.

l. In a combustion injected flash generator, a tank, an internal combustion engine, a connection between said engine and said tank, a check valve in said connection exposed to tank pressure and normally held closed thereby until the moment of explosion whereupon the pressure of the explosion blows open the valve, yieldable means for cutting off direct communication between the engine and tank to initially raise the pressure in said tank above the pressure to which the fresh gases in the engine are compressed before ignition, and means for automatically rendering such cut-oil means inactive when a. proper pressure within the tank has been reached.

5. In a combustion injected flash generator, a tank, an internal combustion engine, a pipe connection between said engine and said tank, a check valve in said pipe exposed to tank pressure and normally held closed thereby, and means for initially raising the pressure in said tank above the pressure to which the gases in the engine are compressed before ignition, such means including a valve in said pipe between said check valve and said tank normally held closed by a spring and acted upon against the action of said spring by a diaphragm which is exposed to tank pressure, a bypass connected to said pipe between said valve and said check valve and opening into said tank, and

a valve in said bypass normally held closed cation to the first nained pipe from said tank it by a spring, said bypass Valve opening at to said engine.

each explosion to permit of the gases enter- In testimony whereof, I afiix my signaing said tank until she pI6SSL11Ie within the ture, in the presence of two witnesses.

tank has been raise above tie pressure to which the gases in the engine are compressed CHARLES ULREY' before ignition whereupon such pressure act Witnesses:

ing upon said diaphragm opens the first W. J. BURNS,

named Valve and establishes direct coinniuni- O. O. LEWILLEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

